Here are some comments which I submitted to 'Pastor Mark' Henderson's blog a couple of hours ago, but which he has refused to publish (as of now, which I know because he has let through other comments since their submission). I'm kicking myself for not saving the comments which induced my banning, but I'll be much more careful dealing with "Pr Henderson" in future and will make sure to publish them here too.
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"You've been hoisted on your own petard, Reginald."
No, I haven't. As I said in the comment, that quotation was something
"with which no Catholic will disagree"
So in trying to appear clever, you've made a fool of yourself. Your quotation from Dei Verbum is a statement of Catholic doctrine, and one with which Protestants (so-called 'orthodox Protestants', though perhaps not 'liberal Protestants') will agree. Protestants and Catholics will disagree, of course, as to my statement of the doctrine of sola Scriptura, a statement which you have yet to prove.
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[http://acroamaticus.blogspot.com/2010/04/juxtaposition.html]
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Sir (as I said in one of my deleted comments I said "Let me know" whether you insist on me calling you "Pr Henderson", but you have still not said so),
Could you please e-mail me a copy of those comments of mine which you declined to publish? I'm kicking myself for not saving them in Notepad or elsewhere before submitting them for publication. (I don't expect you to publish this comment, of course, but I would like to post those comments of mine at my own blog, and those willing to engage in open discussion may discuss them at my blog. Interesting how the most fervent defenders of 'freedom of speech' are always the quickest to violate it.)
As for the question of the status of Magisterial pronouncements: In addition to the usual two criteria for a prounouncement to be considered Magisterial (namely, (1.) that they are issued by the Pope or (and) Bishops(s) in his (their) teaching capacity, and (2.) that they are on a matter of Faith or morals), the two criteria which set ex-Cathedra-level pronouncements apart from non-ex-Cathedra-level ones are (3.) definitiveness and (4.) imperativeness.
3.=> that the statement is pronounced finally, irreformably, definitively (a common form is "We, by Our Apostolic Authority, hereby define, declare and pronounce ...", though the Magisterium is not restricted to this or that form; so long as the definitiveness is conveyed, then that is enough).
4.=> that the pronouncement is issued as irrevocably binding on the faithful. Again, no particular form is necessary.
Look at the wording with which, say, the direct object of Munificentissimus Deus is pronounced, and compare that to the wording with which Catechisms and Vatican II's pastoral essays are pronounced, for comparison.
So if contradictions in teachings of the Ordinary Magisterium, not the Extraordinary Magisterium, are all you have, then you're knocking down a straw man.
(As for your particular question regarding salvation, see this blog post by a lay, but reliable, theologian.)
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[http://acroamaticus.blogspot.com/2010/04/juxtaposition-infallible.html]
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"[I] refuse to address [you] by the title [you] request"
No. You're over-reacting. I asked "let me know" if you insisted on that. As I said, in Australia, the accepted short form for "The Rev. John Smith" would be "Mr. Smith".
"[I] apparently harbour a desire to see [you] burned at the stake"
I indicated no such thing, and harbour no such desire. Please publish my original comment so that your readers can see whether this comment of yours is defamatory or not.
"If [I] have any sense of honour"
If you have any sense of honour then you'll publish those comments of mine.
"which is completely beside the point"
No, I asked for final pronouncements, and you have given me none. You're using apples against oranges.
"[Vatican II was] an authoritative utterance of a body -an Ecumenical Council in the Roman view -which claims infallibility aqccording to thei rown doctrine."
Compare and contrast:
The Pope can speak ex Cathedra, in which case the prouncement is irreformable, but pronouncements at a lower level--even if they come from the Pope--are not irreformable of themselves.
A Council can speak ex Cathedra, in which case the prouncement is irreformable, but pronouncements at a lower level--even if they come from a Council--are not irreformable of themselves.
Why do you grasp the first but not the second?
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[http://acroamaticus.blogspot.com/2010/04/vatican-i-on-canon-of-scripture.html]
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This episode has brought back memories of Mr. Henderson's philosophical cousin, MgS. For a little trip down memory lane, visit my blog post "On the funny way that liberals show how much they value 'freedom of speech'".
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